I am a fairly new hiker and have hiked in the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park, on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, and at a few state
parks in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. I initially obtained
slightly heavy gear, however, I am currently making efforts to go
lighter. I love my tent and appreciate a warm drink in the morning, as
well as a warm meal at night. So far my distance has averaged around 10
mi (16 km) per day, depending on terrain. My wife or my son typically
tag along with me on my hikes.

The Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pants (hereafter referred to as
the "pants" or the "shorts") are part of the Columbia Titanium
Collection, which is a blend of "innovative design, fabrics and
technologies with an active fit for intense activity. " Basically these
pants are made to be light-weight, durable, and comfortable for the
active person. Also, thanks to the zip-off feature, these pants can be
worn as either pants or as shorts, so they are ready for just about any
situation. The nylon Mini Rip material is tough as nails, but likes to
be treated delicately while in the wash. The elasticized waist band
allows for a comfortable fit, and the belt is sure to hold the pants up
if they happen to be just a little loose after a long days hike. And
with two front slant pockets, a third front slant pocket that zips
closed, two cargo pockets with nylon pull tabs and hook-and-loop
closures, and two back pockets (one of which also zips closed and the
other has a hook-and-loop closure) there is plenty of room to store more
than I need to carry.

Columbia even went a step farther by including the Omni-Dry Technology
which is the ultimate moisture management. This technology is a
three-step process:

1. Perspiration from the body is absorbed (wicked) into the material.
2. The moisture spreads out across the material.
3. The moisture evaporates from the material.

The end result of the Omni-Dry Technology is dry clothing and a cool,
comfortable person.

Columbia didn't stop there. They took it another step farther by using
the Omni-Shade Technology which gives these pants a UPF (Ultraviolet
Protection Factor) rating of 30. The Omni-Shade Technology stops the
harmful Ultraviolet (UV) rays three different ways:

1. Using a tight-weave fabric to block the UV rays.
2. Using UV reflectors.
3. Using UV absorbing Technology.

The Omni-Shade Technology not only stops the Ultraviolet A rays, but
also the more harmful Ultraviolet B rays that are even present when the
sun is hidden behind the clouds. According to Columbia, the UPF does not
wear off of the clothing, so the protection is always present. Also,
Columbia notes that sun-protective fabrics with a minimum of UPF 30 are
given the Seal of Recommendation from The Skin Cancer Foundation. (More
can be read through Columbia's website.)

WEARING THEM IN (OR OUT)

<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 3" IMAGE CAPTION = "At Amicalola
Falls">>I have worn these pants at least thirty times and washed them as
many as twenty. I have worn them on quite a few day hikes as well as
overnight trips to some of the local state parks around my home. I have
worn them in most every condition: rainy, windy, hot, cold, and even
snowy. I have worn them while hiking down well maintained dirt and / or
rocky trails, as well as down trails that were grown over and in
desperate need of maintenance. Also, I have used knee-high gaiters in
conjunction with these pants to trudge through snow.

I have worn these pants on a five day, 40 mile (64 km) hike on the
Appalachian Trail (AT) in north Georgia beginning behind the Amicalola
Falls State Park Visitor Center and ending at Neels Gap. Temperatures
ranged from 61 - 85 F (16 - 29 C). The days were mostly sunny with a few
slightly rainy and humid days. Elevations ranged from 1,770 - 4,450 ft
(539 - 1,356 m). The trails were well maintained and were a mixture of
dirt and rocks.

I have also wore these pants while on a three day hike to Sipsey
Wilderness last November. The temperatures were around 25 - 40 F (-4 to
4 C) and mostly sunny. The trails were well maintained here and
consisted of mostly dirt with some rocks, however, there were a few
places I had to actually climb over rocks, and others where I even had
to squeeze between wet and slimy rock walls. There was plenty of
moisture in the air here as we were hiking inside a boxed-canyon and
following the Sipsey river the whole time.

More recently, this past January, I was able to take these pants with me
on a three day hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The
temperatures were around about 20 - 35 F (-7 to 2 C). The trails here
were generally well maintained and consisted of a mixture of rocks and
dirt with occasional roots and blow downs on the trail that we had to
crawl over from recent storms. When we began our hike at the Alum Cave
Trail head at an elevation of 3,830 ft (1,170 m) we encountered a few
patches of ice that covered sections of the trail. As we made it to the
top of Mt. LeConte at an elevation of 6,593 ft (2,010 m) we were
post-holing through snow that sometimes was knee-deep. We also
encountered wind gust around 35- 40 mph (56 -64 kph) while crossing some
of the ridges.
<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 5" IMAGE CAPTION = "On top of
Charlies Bunion on the AT">>

HOW THEY DID

I bought these pants at an REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.), and when
I did I tried on about 5 other different name brand pants. The Columbia
pants just plain fit me better and moved with me better than any of the
other well-known name brand pants I tried on. Also, out of all the other
pants I was trying on, there was only one other pair that was as cheap
as these, and that was because they were marked down on clearance (the
Columbia pants were marked at normal price)! The waist fit me well, and
the elastic in the waistline at the back of the pants only made them
more comfortable feeling. The pants felt wispy against my legs and
allowed air to circulate and the pants to breathe easily. Even where the
pants zipped off was not uncomfortable, as I have found many others to
be because of the bulky zipper that encircled my thigh.
<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 4" IMAGE CAPTION = "River crossing
at Sipsey">>
One of the first things I noticed about these pants was the light weight
and how thin they felt. Regardless though, they have held up very well
to the abuse that I have put them through while on the trail. There is
not one single hole anywhere in the pants (other than the ones that are
supposed to be there). Even the bottom on the back of the pant's legs
are not worn, where so many of my other pants begin to wear quickly from
being under my heels while walking, however, these fit around my boots
well enough to generally keep the pants from slipping under my boots.
Even across the butt there are no worn spots from sitting on all the
rocks or the ground to enjoy a snack or a lunch or even after a long day
of hiking and just taking a break.

There are, however, some stains that haven't completely come out in the
wash across the butt and at the back near the bottom of the legs. The
washing instructions call for a gentle wash cycle in cold water, then
tumble dry on low as well, however, I typically just throw them in the
wash on regular cycle (using cold water), then dry them in the dryer
with the rest of my clothes on regular cycle and there has been no
damage done. I have even used some of the stain treatments that rub in
with a brush, and while they have helped to remove the stains, they have
not caused any harm to the pants. I will occasionally take the pants out
of the washer and let them air dry instead of using the dryer. Also,
these pants can work up an odor after a few days of constant use, but it
is not as bad as some of the other synthetic clothing that I wear. Also,
they are easy enough to wash out in a stream or river and they dry out
very quickly due to the thin nylon that they are made of.

As for features, these pants have them! Even though while hiking I do
not carry much at all in my pockets, I am pleased with the amount of
space to store stuff in the many pockets available. I especially like
the front slanted zipper pocket and the back zippered pocket. I will
usually keep a hanky in one of the front open pockets, and my camera in
the front zippered pocket. I can also carry my wallet or just my
personal ID and some cash in my back zippered pocket without worrying
about losing them. I also enjoy the belt. It snaps simply and securely
in the front, and then is easily adjusted simply by pulling the nylon
belt through the plastic clasp. The belt is nice to have, especially on
multi-day hikes where my waistline seems to temporarily shrink. Also, a
nice little extra is the extra button attached to one of the tags in the
pants. That could be a very handy thing to have in case the one on the
front broke loose without my knowledge and was lost.

It is very nice to be able to only carry these one pair of pants and be
able to quickly convert them to shorts just by simply unzipping the
legs. The only problem is that I then have to carry the legs, however,
the weight of the unzipped legs is probably just a touch lighter than
the weight of carrying an extra pair of dedicated shorts. One other
problem is that if I want to take the legs off I must stop and take my
boots off first to be able to take the legs completely off, or to put
them back on. In cases where I only need to have the pants raised up
momentarily, I have found that it is easier for me to just roll the
pants legs up (such as in the picture above right where I am crossing
the Sipsey River in sub-freezing temperatures).

Overall, I have been very pleased with these pants. I would definitely
replace them with another pair if anything happened to this pair. Even
though I like the Fossil color more than the others I would reconsider
the other colors simply because these show dirt very easily. I would
definitely recommend these to anyone looking for some good light-weight
hiking pants, and have a few times already.

THINGS THAT ARE GOOD

1. Comfort. The pants fit me very well.
2. Plenty of pockets, and some are even zippered.
3. The pants can easily convert to shorts.
4. They are light-weight.
5. They breathe very well.
6. They dry out very fast.
7. They clean up very easily.
8. They came with an easily-adjustable belt.
9. They even came with an extra button attached to the tags inside the
pants.
10.They are very durable.
11. The price is lower than on a lot of other "hiking" pants.

THINGS THAT ARE NOT-SO-GOOD

1. The light color of the pants allows the dirt to really stand out.
2. After a few days they do have an odor, however, not as bad as would
be expected.
3. I have to carry the legs when I convert them to shorts.
4. I have to take my boots off to take the legs off.

WHO I AM

<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 6">>
Chad Poindexter
"Stick"

This report was created with the BGT Report Generator.
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

chcoa

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